In 10 years, AAP govt in Delhi sought land for only 25 new schools: DDA
New Delhi(The Uttam Hindu): Amid a raging political debate in Delhi over the previous AAP government’s education model, the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) on Thursday said that during the past 10 years, the education department sought land for only 25 new schools. Almost a third of these plots have not been handed over due to issues including lack of layout plans for land-pooling areas in urbanised villages, the DDA said.
Interestingly, controversial AAP legislator from Okhla, Amanatullah Khan and Tughlakabad MLA Sahi Ram are among the various lawmakers aiming to get government schools opened in their constituencies, official documents showed. While Khan was pushing to open a school in Zakir Nagar-Jasola, Sahi Ram was aiming to get land allotted in Lal Kuan on Mehrauli-Badarpur Road in South Delhi.
Khan has had several brushes with the law in his 10-year tenure as Okhla legislator. In September last year, Khan was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering case related to irregularities in appointments in the Delhi Waqf Board during his tenure as its chairperson. He was later granted bail. In February, Khan was booked for trying to obstruct police and engaging in a scuffle. A police official said that the incident took place in the Jamia Nagar area when the Crime Branch of the Delhi Police attempted to arrest one Shabaz Khan, who is wanted in an attempted murder case.
Khan’s confrontation with the police team helped Shabaz to escape arrest. Amanatullah Khan defeated BJP's Manish Chaudhary by a margin of 23,639 votes in the Okhla constituency in the recently concluded Delhi Assembly polls. Khan got 88,392 votes whereas BJP's Chaudhary got 65,304 votes. Amanatullah Khan has won the elections from Okhla for the third consecutive time.
Earlier, the DDA said that while possession of eight of the 25 plots is still to be handed over, a bulk of the remaining plots were allotted between February 23, 2017, and January 2024. Giving reasons for a delay in land allotment in some cases, the DDA said the lands sought for schools are Gram Sabha land of various villages allotted by Gram Sabha to the Department of Education, GNCTD, for setting up schools.
Citing issues related to the handover of some lands, the DDA said the villages to whom these lands belong, have been urbanised, and the said land has been vested with DDA. “The subject lands have not been handed over since these areas fall under land pooling zones and there are no sector plans and layout plans prepared for land pooling areas,” said the DDA.
